The Catalyst

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Over the weekend, The Washington Post ran an op-ed by Anthony Fauci, M.D., the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and one of the earliest pioneers in the field of HIV/AIDS research.

There's a good piece over at Pharma Times On-line reminding us all of the work and giving by biopharmaceutical research companies to help the victims of the tsunami in Japan. The article notes that these critical contributions by medicine-makers are sometimes overlooked, with credit going to organizations and agencies providing direct services.

Today is World MS Day, a day intended to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis and to create a stronger network among the more than 2,000,000 patients around the world who live with this debilitating disease.

To help with the goal of raising awareness, PhRMA produced a brief, informative video featuring a multiple sclerosis expert, Sanofi's Associate Vice President and Head of the Multiple Sclerosis Distinct Project Unit Anita Burrell.

Today, the Joint Economic Committee is convening a hearing to discuss life-sciences jobs and innovation.

We hope that this hearing sheds light on the important economic role that our sector plays in America's economy, and we hope that it leads to recognition that the sector is worth promoting for future growth.

To that end, PhRMA's President and CEO John J. Castellani and Chairman of the Board and Sanofi CEO Christopher A. Viehbacher wrote an op-ed for The Hill about their hopes for the hearing.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - though not an easy read, admittedly - gives hope to some smokers by finding that a genetic variant may make it easier to quit smoking (Timetranslates it for those who may want a more-readable version).

Hoosiers Work for Health, the Indiana chapter of We Work for Health held an event in Southern Indiana earlier this week calling attention to both the contribution that the biosciences make to Indiana's economy and the importance of creating an economic and investment environment in Indiana that promotes growth in the life sciences sector.